A beautiful song, a dysfunctional priesthood!

I Sam 2:1-36

We probably would not have had this beautiful prayer and song from Hannah today if not that she was barren before giving birth to Samuel. Now the song is a blessing many generations down the line, her barreness had brought glory to God and good to men – oh, how this our God works in all things!

A whole song is devoted to verse 2, ” There is none holy as the Lord, there is none besides him, neither is their any rock like our God, There is none holy as the Lord”. I could see my own name was derived from vs 7 – “the Lord maketh rich”. The song is a total beauty that tells of God, his presence with the humble, and his hatred of pride and arrogance.

After the song, we learnt that Samuel began to  minister unto the Lord before Eli the priest, however Eli’s own sons (Hophni and Phinehas) were sons of Belial for they knew not the Lord. These guys messed with the sacrificed people brought unto God, by demanding greedily for the meat and taking the best parts, and this made men to abhor the offering of the Lord.

Meanwhile Samuel continued to grow and serve before the Lord. His mother made him coats yearly when the come to offer the yearly sacrifice. On one ocassion, Eli blessed her and her husband for Samuel whom they have ‘loaned’ unto the Lord, and we learnt God visted Hannah and she had three more sons and two daughters. The Lord indeed more than repaid the loan.

Back to Eli and his family, despite hearing all the evils his sons did (they also lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation), Eli did not take a stern stand against them, he only talked about it but enforced nothing. It could be difficult at times to be loving and strict at the same time, but when it comes to the things of God, parents need to take a clear, strict stand with their children before they are destroyed without remedy.

The failure of Eli to rule over his sons evil brought curse on his house. As a man sent from God told him, “there shall not be an old man in his house forever”. THE lord would raise a faithful priest who would do according God’s heart, and would walk before Him forever.

God expects faithfulness of his servants or esle we risk being replaced.

Some verses to remember

Vs 2: There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.

Vs 8: He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S, and he hath set the world upon them.

Vs 35: And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.

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The Birth of Samuel

                                                                                   

I Samuel 1:1-28.

Today, we move on to the first Book of Samuel. The book began with the background to the birth of Samuel. His mother was Hannah, one of the two wives of Elkanah. Peninnah, the other wife had many children, but Hannah was barren. This situation brought her a lot of provocation from Peninnah, although her husband loved her so much and tried as much as he could to make her happy.

Despite the division in the home, the whole family did not neglect devotion together, as they regularly visit Shiloh yearly to worship God. It was on one of such visits that Hannah bare her heart out to the Lord and prayed as though she was “drunk”. She promised God if she had a son, he would be dedicated to God and no razor would touch his head. When Eli the priest as at then saw her and asked about her  “drunkeness”, she explained she was only pouring out her heart to God. She received a blessing and confirmation of answered prayers from Eli, and went bak home happier.

The Lord remembered Hanah, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a boy, naming him Samuel (for I asked him of the Lord). After weaning the child, he took him to Eli the priest to dedicate him unto the Lord as she promised.

SO was the birth of Samuel, and the path he automatically took in life due to the promise his mother made to God. He was dedictaed unto the Lord’s service very early in life. We will continue with the story of this famous prophet tomorrow.

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